Minister for the Environment, Michael Meacher MP, formally invited members of the ePolitix.com Forum to email in their views on waste management.

In addressing the ePolitix forum Michael Meacher said: "Waste in the UK continues to rise at three per cent a year - faster than GDP and faster than in most other nations. The Waste mountain will double by 2020 adding £1.6 billion per year to waste disposal costs. Future UK and EU legislation will require us to reverse this trend and reduce our waste by two thirds. Please send me your views."

Forum Response: EnvirowiseMartin Gibson, director for envirowise, told ePolitix.com: "To be economically and environmentally efficient we need to reduce waste by producing less of it, rather than recycling waste once it has arisen. There are many examples of industry reducing waste by changing processes and, in a few cases, improving design."Companies involved in manufacturing can help reduce waste throughout a product's life cycle by using cleaner design techniques. These have been shown to reduce manufacturing costs, reduce waste during use and make reuse and recycling easier. Cleaner design also makes compliance with take back legislation more economically viable."Service companies can also reduce waste by identifying where it comes from and changing their business processes to minimise waste production. For service companies, purchasing is a particularly important source of waste. It is vital to ensure that procurement procedures are designed to minimise waste."The increase in waste is primarily from domestic waste. It is important to put this in perspective. Domestic waste accounts for less than 20 per cent of the total waste produced in Great Britain yet appears to account for about 90 per cent of the press coverage! More effort should be focussed on helping commerce, industry, construction and government services to reduce waste."On the domestic front, we need a change in attitudes to waste. Attitudinal change is often difficult but it can be brought about by concerted, long-term marketing when the outcome is in most people's interest. The commitment needed will be large as it needs to be of a similar scale to the 'don't drink and drive' campaign. We need to recognise the true cost of waste to society to justify such a campaign."Finally, one reason many businesses are reducing the amount of waste they produce is that it saves them money. Studies by Envirowise and others have shown that the true cost of waste to industry is usually about 10 times the disposal costs. By reducing waste at source, manufacturing companies save an average of about £1000 per employee. This is a much larger saving than can be obtained by simply diverting waste from landfill into recycling. Envirowise provides free advice and guidance to help companies to improve their resource efficiency and reduce waste."Forum Response: Country Land and Business AssociationTanya Olmeda-Hodge, head of environment for CLA, told ePolitix.com: "The CLA represents the breadth of the rural economy and our 45,000 members in England and Wales run more than 250 different types of businesses, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, recreation and other rural industries. They own and manage half the agricultural land and are stewards of countryside resources, landscapes and biodiversity - maintaining and enhancing our greatest national asset for this and future generations."The CLA's principal interest in waste is in relation to fly tipping. Many of our members are blighted by this problem - remote rural land is often accessible for fly tippers and difficult to patrol. A recent survey of fly tipping on agricultural land (funded by Government and the Environment Agency) showed extensive and widespread fly tipping on agricultural land across England and Wales, with 25 per cent of farms having experienced some in the last five years. The estimated costs of cleaning this up are put at some £50m per annum on agricultural land alone."The introduction of the landfill tax and EU directives (end of life vehicles, waste electrical and electronic equipment directive etc), together with the need for better waste management facilities and services, have exacerbated the problem of fly tipping. The CLA is a member of the Fly Tipping Prevention Group which acts as a co-ordinating body with the core objective of reducing fly tipping. We are urging the government to address the illegal disposal of waste as a matter of priority."The CLA considers that the ideal solution for dealing with situations where waste has been fly tipped on private land, and where the occupier can prove his innocence, is for the authorities (either the local council or the Environment Agency, as appropriate) to be placed under a duty to remove the material. This would both ensure adequate clean-up of fly-tipped material and enable the scale of the problem to be properly assessed, which is not possible where, as at present, individual occupiers deal with the material."There could be a possibility to move away from the above solution, but only once there were adequate measures in place to clear fly tipped material from private land. These other measures could include; the exemption from landfill tax for those disposing of fly-tipped waste, more education and information about fly tipping, its unacceptability and proper disposal options, and the establishment of a fly tipping 'rescue fund' which would be available to reimburse those who own or occupy land with the reasonable removal costs and disposal charges of illegally dumped waste. It would also cover the costs of small and large incidents."All fly-tipping incidents would be reported either to the Police or the Environment Agency and be allocated a crime reference number. (This would also help to improve the data available on this problem.) Crime reference numbers could be used to make claims to the rescue fund, either on an individual incident basis or on a monthly/quarterly account, depending on the scale of the problem. The application procedure should be simple, auditable and non-bureaucratic. "Forum Response: BiffaPeter Jones, director of external Affairs for Biffa, told ePolitix.com: "Biffa has warned for some time that without clear government direction towards dealing with the UK's growing waste mountain, the country will face a crisis that could cost the economy an additional £5 billion per year."The technology already exists for treating and recycling large quantities of refuse, but while there are conflicting policies and imprecise financial signals towards waste it is unlikely that anyone will invest in the required infrastructure."Forum Response: Environmental Services AssociationDirk Hazell, chief executive for ESA, told ePolitix.com: "Much has been much said about the need for a "step change in waste management", but the required policy drivers are still not in place.Some European countries already comply with the Landfill Directive but, when it comes to extracting value and energy from waste, the UK's many strategies and plans still leave the UK, set to miss the targets the Government promised the EU in 1999 that it would achieve. The Government's quality of life indicators published last week show that unrecycled household waste grew by 8% between 1991/2 and 2000/1.Given the right opportunity, ESA's Members could of course achieve the levels of recycling and recovery in the UK they are providing in other European countries. Taking a lead in waste management policy here would help to stimulate an internationally competitive environmental services sector in the UK.The recent Strategy Unit study is to be welcomed if it proves to be a catalyst for real progress in the current Parliament. ESA supports the approach to raising the Landfill Tax outlined in the Pre-Budget Report, and has particularly welcomed the Government's intention to make this fiscally neutral for business, That said, much more must be done to make the UK more resource-efficient.ESA's recipe for success includes an effective regulatory regime, an effective planning regime and appropriate funding.An effective regulatory regime is necessary as waste producers tend to send their waste to the cheapest waste management solution allowed by law. When public policy like the Landfill Directive requires more re-use of resources contained in waste, regulation (which may also include economic regulation) is the primary driver for achieving this. Regulation must be enforced consistently. Uncertainty caused by delay in implementing primary legislation is the main obstacle to progress the waste and secondary resources management industry wishes to achieve.An effective planning regime is essential: with an estimated additional two thousand items of infrastructure required to comply with EU law, the planning process needs to deliver new facilities. In our sector, as in others, the planning process is causing delay, increasing risk and undermining investor confidence; andFunding the management of municipal waste needs to double, to about £1 per person per week, to achieve current average EU standards of recovery. Last year Ernst and Young reported that direct charging for municipal waste could raise funds on a non-regressive basis and with benefit to the public purse. There is also a need to streamline the tendering process for local authority contracts and to standardise PFI for waste management projects.None of this is difficult. Political prioritisation can-on an affordable basis-make the UK a world leader in resource management, providing British jobs, a better quality of life and improved environmental outcomes."Forum Response: Construction Products AssociationRita Singh, policy development executive for the Construction Products Association, told ePolitix.com: "A number of barriers in existing policies and legislation prevent the sustainable management of waste and resource use. The current definition of waste has in particular restricted the use of by-products, because there are termed 'waste', which consequently go to landfill and are effectively lost."The economics of waste recovery, segregation, processing and transportation to factories are not always favourable and the procedures for using waste material, eg: as a fuel are protracted and expensive. Authorisation procedures for the use of waste-derived fuel needs to be simplified and should take account of experience in other European countries where waste derived fuel is common."Government should work together in partnership with industry to set regulatory and fiscal framework needed to stimulate more widespread use of waste materials across the construction industry. Standards and technical specifications are areas where reuse of waste products can be particularly encouraged."A favourable step is the LTCS which provides funds for innovation in managing waste sustainably however there is a great need to extend such incentives to local authorities for household waste which has seen a steep rise."Also government, as a major client of the construction industry, can take the lead by requiring its suppliers to have a clear strategy for considering the whole life cycle of products at procurement and design stage in order to help minimise the amount of waste that is generated, and maximise the use of recycled materials."Forum Response: Chartered Institute of Wastes ManagementJane Beasley, Communications manager for CIWM, told ePolitix.com: "As a result of environmental and waste legislation emanating from Europe, waste management in the UK is facing considerable challenges. However, there are a number of specific barriers impeding the achievement of higher recycling rates, and tackling the issue of waste growth."Presently little or no incentives exist at the household level to minimise waste. It is imperative that measures are taken to increase responsibility at this level and focus on encouraging lifestyle changes minimising the generation of waste. Organisations such as NWAI need to be resourced sufficiently to provide a national basis for awareness raising."The recommendation to remove restrictions on local authorities to charge for MSW collected is an example of promoting innovative waste minimisation solutions. Direct and variable charging at the household level is widely used across Europe and is accepted as one of the best tools to induce positive behaviour amongst householders and increase recycling rates, providing the necessary support structures are in place."An economic instrument already in place, set up to encourage diversion of waste from landfill, is the landfill tax. However, the level of the tax was set too low at its inception and it requires an immediate step increase - the reality is that a £3.00 per tonne escalator from 2005 will do little to promote further diversion from landfill."The present planning and permitting systems can take months and years to resolve issues that can revolve around very minor points, causing delays to infrastructure development."A revision of PPG10, to include both a streamlining of the PPGs and the process, as well as providing clarity with regard to securing planning consents, is a priority to ensure all required waste facilities can proceed."Clear Government Guidance and Statements on the issue of health impacts would, to some extent, overcome the lengthy debate and argument on health, environment and public perception issues during the planning process."A strengthened role and higher profile of waste in Government is called for, and the current situation of more than one Department making decisions on waste and waste related issues needs to be urgently addressed."In addition government needs to give some consideration to further incentivising local authorities to work more closely, and the debate should be opened on the possibility of developing unitary resource management authorities."The gap between the funding available to Local Authorities and the need for expenditure to meet sustainable waste objectives is widening. The £140 million Challenge Fund was a start, however it was insufficient to meet the needs of all local authorities. There is concern that the current funding mechanisms, may not be the most appropriate and this raises the question whether ring fenced funds would be more suitable to ensure that waste management receives the resources needed."The broad brief posed by Michael Meacher surmises the challenge the UK currently faces in terms of low recycling levels, high waste growth, and increasing legislation from Europe demanding a fundamental change in practice. In light of the fact that a statement of this nature has the potential to produce an extensive response the full discussion can be found on the CIWM forum page."Forum Brief: Royal Institution of Chartered SurveyorsNicholas Cole, waste policy officer for RICS, said: "The growing mountain of waste is a problem that threatens every community inthe UK. Perhaps one of the greatest environmental issues is how to reduce the amount of waste, recycle and ultimately reuse it. These three Rs should be the goal of all waste management policy decisions. Government has a responsibility to provide a coherent framework to deliver this which is both challenging and realistic."All Local authorities within the UK have been set statutory targets to recycle waste as well as waste strategies aimed at encouraging sustainable waste management. However, this cannot be achieved without integrated planning amongst the public, businesses, local authorities, central government, waste management services and environmental watchdogs. This communication must be coupled with government policy instruments to facilitate long term infrastructure solutions to enable sustainable waste management."Landfill still remains the most convenient and cost effective method of disposing waste, however the environmental impacts suggest this is not a long term solution. The imposition of the Landfill Tax means that landfill is becoming less competitive. Whilst we welcome disincentives to landfill, we also accept that in some instances landfill can be the best environmental option."For alternatives to landfill to succeed, facilities to provide for MRFs and compost units be required. RICS urges government to provide sufficient investment into these facilities to ensure environmental targets do not fall at the budgetary hurdle."Government indecision on incineration does not help the waste management industry. It is quite right that alternative's are explored, but in order to plan, the industry needs clear guidance on whether or not incineration forms part of the government's long term integrated waste management strategy."The planning system must deliver the necessary facilities. RICS welcomes government policy to encourage local authority and regional waste planning strategies. This is crucial if the waste management industry is to attempt to gauge the scale of capacity required."Raising public awareness and confidence in waste management would significantly improve the handling of waste. Information from government on disposal options and recycling facilities would be particularly welcome."Forum Response: Business Services AssociationNorman Rose, director general for BSA, told ePolitix.com: "As Michael Meacher rightly points out waste disposal within the UK continues to be an ever-growing burden. Such national problems are of great concern. A definite change in attitude and behaviour will need to be achieved if the current trend, which will result in the present waste pile doubling by 2020 is to be reversed."BSA supports in general the 'polluter pays' principle. Companies need to take responsibility for their waste production, as do individuals with the help of local councils."Businesses need to be encouraged to reduce waste by a mix of incentives and education. It is BSA's belief that well performing, high quality business operators will be able and willing to incorporate preventative measures for environmental damages."Otherwise, they must face the consequences of their organisational behaviour. Local authorities need to be given the empowerment rather than the obligation to ensure compliance from operators. Focusing on raising awareness and encouraging prevention and protection rather than remedy payments due to non-compliance is a far more positive and welcome approach."Disposal is always a problem so the answer lies in reducing the original burden. The recycling rates throughout some of Europe and the world, for example in countries like Sweden and Australia, where in some parts bins are provided for all sorts of varying waste, are far more encouraging than our own."Education needs to be a priority for both businesses and the general population. The common myth that waste will always just disappear needs to be addressed. A society that takes the humble bin man for granted needs its eyes opened!"Forum Response: Natural Environment Research CouncilHazel Jeffery, head of strategic planning for NERC told ePolitix.com: "Waste management is increasingly an issue of concern. Impacts on the environment and the health implications of handling waste ie. burning it, burying it, need to be better understood. We cannot rely on current technologies to deliver a solution to our waste problem and an investment in research and innovation is needed."Forum Response: British Retail ConsortiumNigel Smith, CSR policy director for BRC, told ePolitix.com: "The British Retail Consortium (BRC) recognises the need to reverse the current trend and reduce waste. The retail sector has made significant investment in the recovery and recycling of packaging waste while taking innovative steps in packaging minimisation. The sector has long been involved in consumer awareness initiatives that educate and inform consumers of the importance of recycling and reusing their packaging and packaging waste."The BRC would like to see evidence of how the Minister for the Environment intends to address the existing failures associated with the recycling infrastructure and ensure end markets are developed to handle any increases seen from the diversion of waste from landfill. Without long-term planning and a robust strategy the industry will fail to achieve future European targets on Packaging and Packaging Waste and government will fail to meet its targets in curbing the mountain of growing waste."